customer disservce, thy name ist Verizon

[cellio]

Dani and I have had a (family) cell-phone plan with Verizon for more than two years. This means we're elligible to upgrade phones, but we hadn't done anything about it because our plain old phones are mostly fine. Our biggest complaint has been battery life (if Verizon would just send us batteries we'd be happy), and a couple weeks ago we bought batteries.

Wednesday Dani's phone died. (Mine is fine so far, so we don't immediately suspect that the battery did damage.) We have no particular reason to change providers, so Thursday over lunch he went to a Verizon store downtown to look at phones and ask some questions (namely, is this a use-it-or-lose-it upgrade event for me too if he upgrades?). He came back from that with the information that there would be financial benefits to upgrading together, so last night we went to the Verizon store in Monroeville to do that. That's where the trouble started.

We got there at 8:25 (they close at 9) and had to wait about 10 minutes to be served (there was a line). We spent the time looking at phones; Dani pointed out the ones he'd narrowed his search to, and I looked at some others. Disappointments: everybody is doing colorful wallpaper that you can't turn off, only some phones have readable fonts (for me), and the RAZR that looked good on paper turned out to be nigh unto unusable. The LG 3450 would seem like a natural upgrade from our LG 3200s, but they've made it harder to use in pursuit of style. (The demo model was also broken.) Dani's other front-runner was called the Coupe (don't know who makes it; it came out last week), which seemed an acceptable just-plain-phone other than the wallpaper problem. (The clerk pointed out that with the camera-phones, which this isn't, you can use a photo as your wallpaper -- so just take a picture of a white wall. Ok, but I still consider it a sign of poor design that not one of the phones we looked at offered that, or "blank", as an option. All of the camera-phones had serious usability problems, either fonts or buttons.)

Ok, so if there's a benefit to upgrading together, I can live with the Coupe. What exactly is that benefit? Well, um, err... if we get more than three accessories to go with the phones, we get a discount. Otherwise, they were going to extend the contract two years and charge us service and data-transfer fees on one of the two phones. ("It's a family plan and we're each supposed to get a free upgrade." "The free upgrade means you get the phone, not the fees." Um, right.)

So I drilled into this a little more. If Dani upgrades his phone now and I don't, can I upgrade mine next month (or next year)? And what will it cost? Or is this "now or never"? She said it's not now or never; the commitment binds to the person/phone, not the plan. Commitment? Well yes, this is a renewal of the two-year contract. We have a single contract; how does this work? Dani's upgrade binds his phone number to a two-year plan now, and my later upgrade will bind my phone number to a two-year plan (starting then) later. But, of course, if we change the plan -- which is the only way the two of us could make independent changes later -- there's a cancellation fee. I think -- the clerk was very inarticulate, kind of rude, and probably wrong on at least one thing she told us. At least some of this is different from what Dani understood from the other store. I asked for the details in writing and got a contract from someone I assumed to be the manager.

So there is no such thing as a "free upgrade"; it's just that at any point you can sign yourself up for a two-year plan and get a cheap phone to go with that. I asked what the incentive was for staying with Verizon, since everyone offers that deal -- isn't there something for customer loyalty? She looked at me like I'd grown a third eye.

We got our current phones at Best Buy because we were also comparing service providers. We both thought we would get better service for Verizon upgrades from Verizon, but I think we were wrong. The sales people at Best Buy last time were much more helpful. And polite. If I upgrade, that's where I'm going.

By this time it was too late to go elsewhere and Dani needed a phone, so he upgraded his and I did not upgrade mine. Really, given what's currently out there, if my phone remains healthy I'm happy to just keep it. Besides, no new phone (according to the sales people) has analog roaming, and my phone does. We couldn't get a digital signal in Toronto last time we were there, so that matters.

Oh yeah -- that's worth a note. We asked about analog roaming and she said "that's going away". Going away? Phones don't support it any more. I said we've needed analog roaming in the past in Toronto and did she have any suggestions there, and she said (I can't capture the tone in mere text) "but, but.. that's another country!". Well yes, but it's in another country an afternoon's drive away that we visit from time to time, so I thought maybe there'd be some sort of support for it. In her universe, US = world; since the US is doing away with analog signals, there's nothing to talk about.

While she was processing the order and trying to find the right cables for the data transfer, she somehow started talking about unruly customers and how she'd kicked somebody out last night for repeatedly using the f-word and being rude. So I was a little surprised by what I heard when she took Dani's phones (old and new) in the back room to do the transfer. Apparently she found this process challenging. Apparently she forgot that there was no door and her voice carries. Um, yeah -- real professional.

Verizon is currently sending me small Amazon gift certificates in exchange for customer feedback, so I think I'll see what they have to say about this. I wonder if I'll still be welcome in the focus group next week. :-)

Comments

[alaricmacconnal.livejournal.com]

One of the things about phones on Verizon's network is that they are not compatible overseas (they aren't GSM - I forget what that stands for). My parents have switched to prepaid plans (they buy the phone, but aren't locked into any monthly commitment and there is no monthly fee - they just pay for the calls that they make).

I still don't have a US cell phone for this reason. Philips gives a 17% discount on Verizon (we switched Kathy's phone to that) and offers a $10 additional line for a family plan ... however, in order to get the $10 add-on, we have to change the current plan that is on Kathy's phone from a $29.99 / month to a $49.99 a month plan ... so my $10 add-on would cost $30 per month ... no thanks!

For the amount that I use it, I'll stick with my international phone :)

Also, Verizon recently started offering combined billing for their landline and wireless phones. I looked at it and said, great ... one less bill and more environmentally friendly ... the catch? I lose my 17% discount on the wireless line if the bills are combined ... go figure.

[(Anonymous)]

The part about Toronto reminds me of a conversation I had with someone about strange phone calls I was receiving from Quebec.
I: The Caller ID doesn't give a name; it just says Quebec (pronounced "keh-BECK").
She: Who?
I: Not who, just Quebec.
She: What?
I: The Caller ID is only giving the geographical area, Quebec, which matches the area code.
She: Where?
I: Quebec! Quebec, Canada.
She: Oh, you mean, KWEE-beck.
(My person and yours should get together and teach a class!)

[cellio]

I don't need overseas coverage enough to spend more money on a phone (if relevant I'll just rent), but I thought "overseas" and "North America" were different parameters.

Ah, the joys of corporate pricing policies. It reminds me of Claritech, which would pay for home network connections if and only if they received the bill (no reimbursements). Fine, but Ma Bell bills by the phone line, not by the service (at the time Ma Bell was the only local source of DSL). This policy made sense in the days of dial-up, when you wanted a separate line for that if you were going to be on a lot, but it makes no sense for DSL. So we installed a second phone line, put DSL on it, and sent the bills to Claritech. Whee.

[alienor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Verizon chose to go with CDMA so they could handle more calls per tower, while the rest of the world went with GSM so you could... I dunno... UNDERSTAND the person on the other end of the line.

If I didn't live in such a rural area (Verizon is the only provider without spotty service) I'd switch in a heartbeat. I haven't had customer service issues, but I have a really hard time understanding anyone on a CDMA network.

[laid.livejournal.com]

Funny. My parents recently switched to Verizon, and I know why the guy in the commercial is going around saying "Can you hear me now". He's trying to find a spot that has steady service. Calls don't get dropped, but the signal seems to vary or something to the point where I'll be talking to my father on his way home from work an rts f e ver ation will be miss or fade out.

Granted, I don't get service in as many areas with Nextel, but I wonder how many areas don't really get Verizon service either, except in the academic sense.

[alienor.livejournal.com]

That's probably more a function of tower geography and/or handset antenna ability rather than the CDMA vs GSM debate. At a guess. I don't recall off hand what Nextel uses (they have crap for coverage in SoMD, so I've never paid attention).

SoMD (southern Maryland) is fairly flat, so as long as they have enough towers (only Verizon does), the signal strength is good (though the voice quality sucks because it's CDMA). What's the geography like where you are?

[laid.livejournal.com]

It's rolling hills, 200' difference between tops and valleys.

[cellio]

Pittsburgh is very hilly, and I also get the signal variations. However, I also got them with Sprint, so I think it's really just that lines of sight to towers -- any towers -- are hard.

[gregbo.livejournal.com]

My Verizon service is up for renewal in a couple of months. I'm thinking of switching to either AT&T or T-Mobile and getting an unlocked GSM phone.

In general, I've been satisfied with my Verizon service. I get few dropped calls, and the voice quality is reasonable. The only time I couldn't get a signal was at the summit of a hike in Yosemite Valley; I imagine no GSM networks are available there either. I just need something I can take with me outside the US (especially overseas).

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

FWIW, my household's been pretty happy with T-Mobile in DC. They're also one of the few carriers with adequate coverage in back-of-beyond PA where all the relatives are.

[cellio]

IIRC, when we were choosing a provider two years ago T-Mobile didn't have any flip phones (only candybars). Do you happen to know if that's changed? I don't have a lot of requirements for a phone, but one of them is that it both fit comfortably in my pocket and, when in use, be approximately phone-sized, so the mike is near my mouth and the speaker is near my ear. (It's also nice to not have to push an unlock button before taking a call.)

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

That's odd. We picked out our current phones in 12/05, and I recall a lot of flip phones, including most of the Motorolas. A lot of them were pretty small even open, however.

The RAZR didn't impress us either; all flash, minimal function, and fragile. We ended up with matching Samsung slider phones which we're pretty happy with.

There seems to be a fair number of flip phones in Tmobile's current phone selection.

[cellio]

Perhaps I have misremembered which carrier was which, it having been a couple years. Thanks for letting me know.

[n2mlq.livejournal.com]

FWIW, Bridget and I just got a pair of Nokia 6086 from T-mobile. They have the option not to have wallpaper, and are flip phones. They also have the ability to tunnel GSM via 802.11 wireless, which makes them lovely at our house since we're kind of in a faraday cage at home. Outside the house is fine, inside gets really spotty. That and their customer service is among really quite good, and has remained steady in the 10+ years I've been a customer.

As far as Analogue roaming, well, NAMPS is well on its way to being dead, Rogers Wireless in Canada shut down thier Analogue (AMPS) network on May 31 2007, and the rest are going to start going away in Feb 2008 which is the date when the FCC has set for AMPS decomission. Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility are synching thier Canadian decomission to the US decomission, so there is a really good reason you can't get new handsets with Analog anymore.

Personally, if you still have the window I'd take the 'customer remorse timeout' on the VZ contract and tell them to stuff it. You can take your TN with you afterall.

[cellio]

Thanks for the T-Mobile information.

As far as Analogue roaming, well, NAMPS is well on its way to being dead, Rogers Wireless in Canada shut down thier Analogue (AMPS) network on May 31 2007, and the rest are going to start going away in Feb 2008

Ah. Ok, then, presumably they're switching to digital in the places that didn't yet have it. I don't care about analog specifically; I care about being able to use my phone in Toronto. I also don't assume that Canada automatically implements FCC directives, though I guess in this case they're feeling squeezed.

[steven.livejournal.com]

I've had Verizon as my mobile provider for 10 years now, since it was NYNEX and Bell Atlantic. The customer service in the stores has declined considerably, but call quality is the reason I put up with it.

I'm surprised you had problems in Toronto, of all places. When I was in Calgary, I had a digital signal everywhere, and a strong one at that.

Overseas coverage isn't a compelling reason for me to switch carriers. The cost of renting a phone when we go to, say, South Africa is low enough. I'm actually trying out an experiment when we head to Scandinavia: I bought a Nokia 770 WiFi tablet and installed Gizmo on it so I can make VoIP calls. From what I understand, WiFi is nearly ubiquitous over there, but it'll be interesting to see what happens -- not to mention, an interesting experiment to see how we function without cell phones.

[cellio]

Maybe it was the specific part of Toronto where we were staying. We were roaming and analog, so the phone would suck the battery dry phoning home in a day if I left it turned on. I had expected better. Fortunately, we don't go to Toronto often enough for this to be more than a minor hassle. (We can give the cat-sitters the relatives' land-line number.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/merle_/]

I found the Verizon people either clueless or pushy or rude (or some combination) the four times I've had to go into their store. They do have more phones in stock, but that's about it. (then again, my experiences at Best Buy and similar stores were pretty weak, because around here they only seem to hire high school kids who just aren't sufficiently geeky)

The clerk pointed out that with the camera-phones, which this isn't, you can use a photo as your wallpaper -- so just take a picture of a white wall.

That's what I ended up doing, albeit with a bright red sheet. Still not perfect. Why can't you just set a solid RGB colour? One of these days I'll have to figure out how to transfer a file on as my background image from a mini SD chip.

And the fonts.. feh. Many people use their phones as watches. I have to hold my phone up close and squint to see the time. All that screen real estate, and they cram the time into a 4pt font near the bottom. (I have Verizon, too)

[cellio]

We've had better luck with the clerks at Best Buy than you have. Sounds like I should consider myself lucky.

And the fonts.. feh.

Indeed. Why are "appropriate size given the available real estate" and "high-contrast" such hard concepts to grasp? On one of the phones I looked at the fonts were white (couldn't find a way to change that) but none of the available backgrounds were particularly dark (and all were busy, of course). Ugh. I guess they cram the time into a 4pt line at the bottom to make room for the "art" on their wallpaper. Bah.

[http://users.livejournal.com/merle_/]

I find it even more irritating that on my phone, when I go to dial a number, the background blanks out to light blue and the font changes from 4pt white to 16pt black for the numbers. They clearly have the technology. But it seems like all of their features and marketing are so focussed on teenagers that they cannot comprehend the needs of anyone else.

Cell phones are so much less customizable than I would have thought. (I dreaded owning one, and didn't until about six months ago, but do see the appeal in case of emergency.. still, it is a very expensive acoutrement for someone who spends maybe two hours a week on personal calls) Controlling the font seems essential to me, whereas "video on demand" is a feature I have never even bothered learning how to use.

[dvarin.livejournal.com]

My main objection to Verizon is that all their calling plans have more minutes and features than I would reasonably use, and that they stick you with a two-year contract. It turns out the local phone company in Seattle has a cheap no-features plan and you can ask for a one-year contract. And unlike the clerk at the Verizon store in Pittsburgh, the ones here didn't tell me that there was a $15 discount for combined billing that I found out later didn't exist. (Oh, and setting up combined billing in the first place is annoying, because (at the time) you couldn't do it at the store--you could only do it by calling in during the overlap time where both billing cycles had been paid for the previous month but hadn't yet generated the bill for the next month. If they're offset by two weeks, this gets interesting.)

[cellio]

We're not thrilled with our plan, but it sucks less than the others. We pay (I think) $60/month for two phones, a shared pool of minutes, and free long distance. It's more minutes than we need (500? something like that), but it let us drop the land line down to the basics ($14/month; we use it for incoming calls only). A lot of the benefit here, though, comes from multiple people sharing a household; I imagine that all one-person plans would be overkill for you, at least until you're ready to get rid of your land line.

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

I hate Verizon Wireless. They are very annoying. The only thing keeping me there is lack of inertia. We've been using VW for so long that I'm too lazy to go shopping around for something better. But their phones are terrible, their customer service is worse, and I can never find a calling plan that doesn't feel like it's not a rip off.